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Pesto the baby penguin is huge — both online and literally speaking. The nine-month-old king penguin, who lives at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, weighs about 46 pounds. That’s enormous, even by seabird standards. King penguins, the second-largest species of penguin, typically weigh 20 to 30 pounds when they’re fully grown. “He’s officially…

Read More “A massive baby penguin named Pesto is inhaling fish and winning fans” »

Thousands of chemicals used in food packaging and food production are leaching into food itself. “It’s [from] your soda can, your plastic cooking utensils, your nonstick frying pan, the cardboard box that your fries come in,” says Jane Muncke, a toxicologist based in Zurich. “It’s retail food packaging, but also the processing equipment, and your…

Read More “Hazardous chemicals in food packaging can also be found in people” »

The number of whooping cough cases have more than quadrupled in the U.S. since last year, according to data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday. Infectious diseases experts attribute the surge in cases of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — to a dip in vaccination rates that began…

Read More “Whooping cough cases spike in the U.S., after people missed vaccinations during pandemic” »

For people with the most severe forms of mental illness, the problem of not being able to find treatment can be deadly. Ravi Coutinho tried very hard to find treatment for his depression, anxiety and alcohol use disorder. He met frustration at every turn as he tried to find mental health care providers who took…

Read More “The human cost of ghost networks” »

Voters considering a third-party candidate face the same dilemma every presidential election cycle: should they vote their values and get behind a candidate who likely won’t win, or settle and support a Democrat or Republican nominee they see as flawed. This year, Pope Francis weighed in. “One must choose the lesser of two evils,” he…

Read More “Third-party voters face a tough choice in a tight election” »

For 22 years, Jason Mazzola’s life was defined by Fragile X, a genetic condition that often causes autism and intellectual disability. Jason, who is 24 now, needed constant supervision. He had disabling anxiety, and struggled to answer even simple questions. All that began to change when he started taking an experimental drug called zatolmilast in…

Read More “Fragile X held him back. An experimental drug is helping him break free” »

Teenage boys have a new hair style obsession. You’ve probably seen a variation of the “alpaca” cut, as some are calling it, on the likes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, internet personality Jake Paul and pop megastar Bad Bunny. The look can vary, of course, but it has three signature traits: a close…

Read More “The ‘alpaca’ haircut teenage boys and young men are obsessed with — explained” »

The Red Sea, sandwiched between northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is teeming with life, including octopuses and more than a thousand species of fish. Every day, the goal of these creatures is the same. “Anything that is smaller than them and can fit their mouth, they’re going to try to eat,” says Eduardo Sampaio,…

Read More “Octopuses and fish share leadership — and enforcement — in group hunting” »

Motel 6, the economy budget motel that has existed for six decades, announced that it will be acquired by Oyo, an Indian-based travel company, in a multi-million dollar sale. But there is no need to worry; the motel chain will still leave its light on for you. Motel 6’s parent company, Blackstone, released a statement…

Read More “Motel 6 is sold to an Indian hotel company for $525 million” »

Boeing said Monday it made a “best and final offer” to striking machinists that includes bigger raises and larger bonuses, but the workers’ union said the proposal isn’t good enough and there won’t be a ratification vote before Boeing’s deadline at the end of the week. The union complained that Boeing publicized its latest offer…

Read More “Boeing makes a ‘final offer’ to striking workers, but union says it’s not good enough” »